Airbus calls for wider seats on long flights

Seats in the economy section of large planes can vary in width -- some planes offer seats that are 17 inches wide while others offer a roomier 19 inches.

Airbus is calling on the airline industry to require wider seats on long-haul flights, citing a new study that found that just an extra inch of room vastly improves in-flight comfort and sleep quality.

The study from The London Sleep Centre found that seats, with a width of 18 inches, led to a 53% improvement in passenger sleep quality compared to the 17-inch standard offered by many airlines.

Airbus, part of the pan-European aerospace conglomerate EADS(EADSF), is hoping that all airlines will adopt the 18-inch standard for long-haul flights.

Airbus' call seemed more like a missive aimed at its rival across the ocean, Boeing(BA), which makes planes with narrower seats, said U.S.-based airline consultant Jay Sorensen from IdeaWorksCompany.

"It's a rather shameless attempt at self-promotion using statistics from sponsored research," said Sorensen.

Airbus also noted that other industries -- including the auto industry -- had already moved to accommodate expanding waistlines and people's expectations for more personal space.

Sorensen said that "Airbus has conveniently picked a dimensional aspect that benefits them. Note that they are not addressing seat pitch -- the space between rows -- or recline angle." He pointed out that if Boeing were forced to widen its seats, the planes wouldn't fit as many passengers.

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Boeing was not immediately available for comment.

Airbus and Boeing are known to be fierce competitors in the commercial aviation space, vying for multi-billion dollar orders from large airlines operators around the world.